Epic of the Diamond in the Rough
by Nanatsusaya
Summary: Journey of Hildegard of Bingen and Shiriel, Angel of Mercy to restore Sophia, the Goddess to power. [AS side-story with OCs.]
1. Gutter Flower

_Written with Zimus, my all time favorite author.  ^_^  _

Ch.1: Gutter Flower

The angel sat alone in the quiet abode of a refugee I-family.  Garbage was littered about her feet, ruined walls, and sagging ceilings making up the background.  Shiriel was totally absorbed in her knitting of a small sweater with one hole for a wing and her gray eyes were bent only to the flashing silver needles. 

On the roof of a nearby house crouched what seemed to be the spirit of a human female, except it was bone thin, and had such papery white skin that it appeared ashen.  Closer examination would show that she was unnaturally tall, had dark, sunken eyes, and very dirty, matted blond hair.  In fact, the whole body was rather dirty and her clothes where close fitting and torn.  She happened to be focusing on the knitting angel she could see through the window with a very intense gaze.

The angel finished her project with her usual speed and set it on a dilapidated table.  She stared at the tiny pattern of a shooting star across the front for a few moments   noticing the area was eerily quiet.  Dully, the angel rose and emerged from the decrepit building, slinging a small bag over her shoulder.  Shiriel's movements did not go unnoticed--the woman's eyes followed her intentedly, but she did not move from where she crouched on the roof. 

 _That must be her..._ she though, and her body tensed slightly as if to jump.

Shiriel continued on her way, across cracked streets and under the shadows of broken sky- scrapers, walking as though she had a destination in mind.  Moving with uncanny stealth, the woman slipped from the top of the building and flitted through the shadows of the buildings, following Shiriel.  Her filthy clothing camouflaged her well in the endless gloom of the slums.

Though she walked for a long way, Shiriel did not appear to tire of the journey. Her head remained aimed before her, eyes moving as if watching an invisible map on the ground.  The woman wondered at her lack of fatigue and how much farther this destination could be.  She had been watching the angel all day, and wished to end this chase as soon as possible.

 _Besides, it's not a good idea for full-formed angel to be walking around this area in plain sight...._ Her eyes narrowed in concentration as she attempted to deduce where Shiriel was leading her.

At the outskirts of the sector, there appeared to be a small congregation of life-- more then in the deadened land behind.  These were the Is who could sometimes disguise their malformed appearance, and managed to bribe other angels for food and supplies.  Shiriel approached on particular man missing an eye.  Her tracker slipped into a narrow alley out of sight of the group.  Tense as a bowstring waiting to be loosed, she stood watching the exchange uneasily.  She had little trust for Heaven in general, let alone a sketchy clan of bums in the lower levels.

The man knew what Shiriel required without asking, and shoveled a bundle into her bag.  The angel nodded and gave him her hand.  He bent and kissed it in the order of a cross and smiled.  She returned the smile and left, retracing her steps.  Confused by the odd chain of events, the woman gave one last, suspicious glance in the direction of the fire and followed the angel.  Racing ahead behind the buildings, she walked level with Shiriel, but still unseen.   Shiriel paused for nothing, walking ever onward back towards the house she had left.

The woman knew she hadn't been spotted--that was usually a given.  She took to the shadows like a fish to water, and not many could pick her out in the dim light.  By now she had figured out the path and hurried on ahead, scouting for possible mishaps.  _Milady would be furious if something happened to this one…._

Sooner or later Shiriel reached her destination. She gently brushed the dirty curtain aside that served as a door and made her way to the table.  Before setting anything down, she inspected the items in her bag with a blink and a short nod.  Food in yellowed plastic containers was stacked on the table, counted by the angel who brought it.

The woman watched her enter the building from across the cracked street.  It was time to approach the angel.

 _Now's my chance…._

            Rising silently, she strode across the street, slightly slumped, angular posture casting an odd shadow on the pavement.   She stood before the door and rapped her knuckles lightly against it.  Inside, Shiriel turned, searching the doorway anxiously.  She brushed off her skirt and opened the door a crack. Staring out at the newcomer, she kept her features carefully blank as to avoid unnecessary confrontation.  Grey eyes like a void stared back at her and an expressionless face was illuminated vaguely by the dim light of the room.  After a long pause the woman said in an equally emotionless voice, "You are Shiriel, High Angel of Mercy?"  Looming in the doorway, she was not particularly menacing, but and odd presence non-the-less.

            Shiriel stared for a little longer, her gaze traveling up and down, taking in her visitor's strange appearance.  Finally, she put her hands behind her back and shook her elegant head.  The woman continued to watch her, not making any move to leave or force her way in.    
  


  
            "I was informed that I could find her here," she replied in a monotone voice.  Shiriel just declined again and shrugged.  Lifting a finger, she pointed upward in the direction of the upper levels of Heaven.   
  
            Blinking the visitor looked up but saw only sky.  She turned back to the angel and said, "But you must be she.  Shiriel-sama has not been seen in the upper levels for a long time." 

            The angel closed her eyes and sighed, turning around rather quickly and shutting the door.  Outside, the woman stared at the shabby wood for a full minute before knocking again, though a bit louder this time.  In turn, the door remained closed for said amount of time, eventually producing Shiriel's slightly disgruntled face.

   
  


  
            "I must know if you are Shiriel-sama.  I will not harm you and it is a matter of utmost importance."  The woman's eyes bored down on her, though no feeling resided there.  In response, Shiriel's shoulders sagged and she cocked her head to look over her visitor's shoulder.  Wrinkling her nose, she allowed the door to swing open.  Entering the room with and uncanny soundlessness, barely even disturbing the dust on the floor, the woman's eyes darted around the room.    
  


  
            "Is there anyone else here?"  She began checking carefully in every nook and cranny of the dirty room. Shiriel shook her head and seated herself on the chair she had been knitting at earlier.  She looked weary for the first time since her visitor had found her.  The latter completed her survey of the room and through the windows before standing in from of the angel.    
  


  
            "I dare not risk telling you everything here, but my master, a being of…of great importance, wishes me to bring you back to her without delay.  I'm sure you don't trust me now, and all I can offer you is my word that we are not trying to harm you in any way."  The woman did not really think this persuasion would have any effect at all on the far-sighted angel, but it was all she could say.  Shiriel's brow knit downward questioningly, a curious look on her pale face.  It was beyond her how someone could find her and possibly require her services.    
  
            After some thought, a bright look graced her features.  Smiling, the angel offered her hand to the woman as she had done with the man in the alley.  Surprised, her visitor reached out her own hand after a moment's awkwardness.  "You are agreeing then?"  She was not sure how it had turned out so easily, but she was not one to question good luck.  Shiriel became confused again when the woman behaved as she did.  Shaking her head, she pointed to her lips and back to her hand.  It took the better part of a minute to realize what she thought the angel had in mind.  Sheepishly, she kneeled and pressed her lips to Shiriel's hand as a token of devotion.  She stood again, and proceeded to introduce herself, "I am Hildegard of Bingen, at your service Shiriel-sama."   
  


  
            Again, the angel shook her head, long white strands bouncing limply.  She smiled and patted Hildegard on the head with a gentle hand.  The angel then set one hand on her hip and scratched her temple with the other.  _Was this person not wanting the usual request?  _If she thought hard, Shiriel could almost remember when others had kissed her and like Hildegard and said those same words…. 

            Hildegard failed to notice the angel's confusion and once again scoured the area for eavesdroppers.  Not seeing any in the immediate area, she peered out the door up and down the street.   

            "We should be leaving at once.  Gather your things if you need to bring them."   Shiriel looked around herself quickly, and then back at Hildegard.  Through her facial expression she managed to convey the great feeling of reluctance to leave this place.  The woman's huge, unblinking eyes watched her face carefully.  "We must hurry, Shiriel-sama.  I doubt I was followed, but there's no way to tell for certain…. There are creatures possessing greater stealth than I here in the slums…."    

            The angel looked indignant and pointed at the tiny shirt and food items.  She indicted with the other finger that it was her that provided for the recipients of these items.  There was no way the Angel of Mercy was going to leave this I family she had taken under her wing and protected.  Hildegard could not even begin to fathom the angel's attachment to them, having only ever been a medium for the same master even in life.  

            "They will be safe when you are away," she tried to console.  

Shiriel drooped visibly and looked back at the woman sadly.  Why must she be reminded?  The angel stepped forward with a sigh—she didn't fancy being caught by the militant officials again, but she had no idea what this woman wanted from her.  To be elevated to usefulness again was very enticing despite.   

            "Are you ready?"  Hildegard stepped out cautiously into the darkening street.  The air was heavy and still…foreboding.  She held her head in the air in an almost animalistic fashion, paranoid eyes continuously darting around.  Shiriel followed after Hildegard, her bracelet making the only sound on the quiet street.  Mute Angel of Mercy, unfit for rule, ludicrous, useless…. She had pardoned every sinner that ever came to her on trial.  

            Hildegard beckoned for her to follow and slid into the shadows, but not hidden enough for Shiriel to miss her.  She thought about the road ahead as she walked, not expecting to live through this ordeal.    
  


  
_            But that doesn't matter as long as I can aid Milady even in this small task…._


	2. Notes

_Notes:_

Hildegard of Bingen—Medieval visionary that believed she saw visions of God's feminine side, Sophia.  In this story, Sophia is the master she refers to and a Mother Nature type figure.  The historical Hildegard was very sickly and detached all her life, hence the fictional one's appearance, demeanor, and physique.      
  
Shiriel, High Angel of Mercy—When the man kissed Shiriel's hand in the sign of the cross, she pardoned his sins.  This was how she relieved the sinners brought to her in Heaven.  In the end, the higher-ups thought she was abusing this power by pardoning everyone and slandered her into hiding and shame. 


End file.
